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Lance Corporal Corie Mapp, 34, lost both legs below the knee when his tank was hit by an IED in January 2012.

After an eight-day coma he began the process of recovery, and now hopes to represent the UK at sitting volleyball and athletics.

Private Jaco van Gass, 27, of the Parachute Regiment, lost his left arm and suffered terrible shrapnel wounds when he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan in 2009.

Since then he has completed several marathons and trekked to the North Pole. He hopes to take part in the cycling.

Charlie Walker, 34, a trainee bomb disposal expert, left the Army after he contracted meningitis and lost both legs below the knee.

He was part of the men's Sitting Volleyball team at the 2012 Paralympics which finished in 8th place

Royal Marine Liam Brentley, 27, is deaf and has metal plates in his skull after he was shot in the head while serving with the Royal Marines in 2010.

He hopes to compete in athletics and archery at the Invictus Games.

Royal Marine Ray Lowrie, 33, suffered years of agony after suffering an injury on ice in 2008.

After choosing to have his leg amputated last year, he now hopes to compete in the rowing.

Mike Goody, 28, a former Aircraftsman who served in the RAF,lost part of his leg and suffered a brain injury when a bomb hit his patrol.

After being diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, Mike hopes to compete in swimming, cycling and rowing.

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Prince Harry has promised that the first Invictus Games will “inspire” the nation as he revealed the sporting spectacular could become an annual event.

In September, more than 400 injured servicemen and women across the world will compete in a Paralympic-style competition staged in London.

The prince has been the driving force behind the project, after he watched a similar event called the Warrior Games taking place in the US last year.

Ten months later, thousands of tickets have already been sold for the competition, which will include archery, wheel chair and basketball.

Prince Harry said making the Games a success was now “basically my full time job” but that pulling it together in such a short time had been a “real struggle”.

He told Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2: “This is definitely going to be a regular event. We're still trying to work out whether we do it next year or the year after and whether it's going to be within the UK or whether it's going to be abroad.

“These guys are a credit to the country so to give them a chance to come out and inspire others around them, whether they be military or whether they be civilian.

“To show how they’ve come from that to competing in amongst 430 other competitors in the Invictus Games in London in front of 55 000 people is absolutely incredible.”

Teams have been invited from coalition nations including Afghanistan, Canada, Iraq and the USA.

Harry was joined during the interview by two Royal Marines, JJ Chalmers and Luke Darlington, who are hoping to take part in the Games being staged at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London.

Mr Darlington will try out as a cyclist despite having a piece of shrapnel still lodged in his brain after he stepped on an explosive device in Afghanistan.

JJ Chalmers, who is also hoping to cycle, was seriously injured by a device which claimed the lives of two of his colleagues. He suffered severe injuries to his arms, face and legs.

Harry said that the aim of the Games was to use the “power of sport” to help wounded service personnel through their rehabilitation.

He added: "A lot of these individuals, girls and guys that have been injured get into that very, sort of, negative state of mind and actually it's a lot easier to stay out of the way of everybody else because, you know, you get anxiety and you're trying to rebuild your life.

He added: "We've got 55,000 tickets in total. We've sold a lot and we want to sell more."